Throws

Tips for Ike

Unlike other spacing characters Ike is more defensive character than others. Also many spacing characters are more react based when Ike is all about reads (aka punishing game). So as Ike you want the enemy to come to you and not the other way round.

So Ike is slow but hits hard eh? Thanks to Ike's high damage and knockback he doesn't have many combos like others but here are some.

Others:D-tilt -> Fair/NairNair -> Jab/Side-BOfc there are more but I just wanted to list few of them.

Lets talk about Ike's customs. Neutral-B is maybe Ike's worst move but you can get better one with custom moves For Neutral-B you want the windbox one. This makes his Neutral-B more useful as edge guarding tool.For his Side-B you want Close Combat. Why? Quickdraws biggest problem was that it can be countered with Shield. Close Combat allows Ike to go past foe's shield which makes his Side-B harder to punish. Ofc you loose a lot of knockback and damage but it is worth it.As for his Up-B you can keep the normal one or pick the one with more vertical movement. Want better recovery? Pick the one with more vertical movement. Want more combos? Pick the normal one.As for his Down-B... Well they they all have their ups and downs. I think the normal counter is overall the best one. Some prefer paralyzing one and some prefer the smash one.

His B&B combos ( D-grab>Up-special, dtilt>bair, Nair>quick jump>fair) should be on your mind the whole time. Get as much damage as possible to a percentage for your kill moves. Since the patch, his Bair is definitely something to use frequently. Not only is it quick, but it hits hard. Can kill at the edge easily. One combo that works well for kills is Nair>jump>Uair. The landing lag on his nair is little to none, and your opponent is high enough to get the kill.

Ike's downfall is speed and projectile characters. Any range attacks can significantly change the way the match can go. Greninja/Samus/Little Mac are some characters that may give you trouble. Don't give them any space enough to keep you away. Worst thing that can happen is you getting spammed by arrows. Damage adds on over time and can do you harm if you keep your distance. Close and precise is the only way you can win against these characters. Dont lose your space.

to begin out a match fair>jab(all 3 hits)>fair neutral bat low % dash attack>fair>up bat high % fair> counter or side tiltout of up throw at low % up b at high % try to jump bait airdodge neutral bside throw at low % sideb>fair> dair or neutral bout of down throw at any % fair>jabi really like fair

Ike is BY FAR my favourite Sword Fighter and he's just so great, there aren't many problems with if used correctly.• Always have in mind that his Neutral A is a very good move for quick damage (11% tops) and Spacing, Ike is a very defensive character, so spacing is always handy• His Eruption move is THE BEST AT EDGE KILLING!! When a character (e.g. cloud) trys to use his recovery to get an edge grab, if you time this for more than 2 seconds it'll kill him (I've killed Cloud at 77% using this). Although, practice is needed to be able to perfectly read any characters recovery.• His grab has a few combos, the main ones are 1- Grab, Up and the Aether or Side Air. 2- Grab, Down, Aether or Side Smash. 3- Grab, (any side), Dash Attack works great when it works.• Down Tilt, Side Smash does decent damge aswell• His Smash's (Mainly Side Smash) are based on reads, after practicing, his Side Smash and other Smash's have either Outstanding effects (when it lands) or Negative Effects (Lag and misses = you better prepare yourself) ;).

Ike's main gripe is with speed - his attacks aren't very fast, but in return, have lots of power behind them. Ike can destroy opponents with the right reads at an early percentage. For spacing purposes, in the air you'll be using his Forward Air a lot - it has great reach and has a wide hitbox (not to mention it auto cancels). His Up Air is also useful because it stays out for a very long time, useful against people who air dodge a lot, and is a follow up to his Down Throw.

To kill, Ike has tons of ways to do that. All his tilts are incredibly powerful, but of particular note is his Up Tilt and Side Tilt. Up Tilt works as an anti air, and Side Tilt has great range and power. All his smashes are ridiculously powerful, but also have the cost of extreme lag, so use with discretion. With the right read, it can be a quick kill. Also, his Back Air can come out pretty quickly, so it's useful to edge guard.

His Up B out of shield is pretty good, but don't expect a kill quickly. It does meteor smash, but the only way it'll kill the opponent is if you die along with them. Also, his recovery is a bit lacking, as he only has okay horizontal recovery and somewhat poor vertical recovery. However, when coming up to the ledge, his Up B can hit opponents standing near the edge.

Overall, Ike may take some getting used to, however, if you can learn to use the power and place your hits well, you'll do radiantly.

Ike's down throw is his best combo throw. At low %s, he can follow with up-B for 24%, forward air for 19% or double jump back air for 21%. Out of these, back air is the best option because it does a lot of damage and is much harder to DI (directional influence) away from.

Ike's forward air will be one of your main moves. If you shorthop and doing a rising fair, the move will autocancel and let you act as soon as you hit the ground. This lets Ike zone many characters with retreating fairs and fairs that barely hit the opponent's shield.

Ike's neutral air is used more for its combo potential as the move doesn't autocancel but its landing lag is very short allowing Ike to pursue if the move hits. At low %, for example, nair to jabs is a true combo.

Ike's side-B can be used as an alternative recovery. If he doesnt hit anything, Ike will enter a free fall state in the air. This can be used to your advantage because Ike can shorthop his Quick Draw and land with minimal lag allowing him to cover distance faster than his dash normally would. If he hits someone with it, he still is able to use his up-B to recover after.

His smash attacks are monstrous. As a power character, Ike's forward smash can remove stacks earlier than most other characters. The range is large but the drawback is the long cooldown after Ike swings his sword. His up smash also has large range but there's a clear startup to it that most opponents will try to avoid. Despite that, this can be used out of dashes or as opponents try to land. The range makes it much more difficult to dodge from the air when landing near Ike. Down smash is strong but sacrifices much of its power for speed. One of Ike's few fast kill moves, you should always be looking for a perfect time to punish with this when an opponent makes a mistake.

combo start: sh forward fair or nair (fair autocancels as of the new update)

ground combo end: jab combo for speed, ftilt for damage/knockback (unreliable), F or or U smash for kill (only good for punishing air dodges and such)

air combo end: aether (only if you KNOW it will connect, only do on fast fallers or people at low damage) nair (reliable, but not much damage or knockback), fair (faster now, and can kill at high-ish percents), bair (incredibly fast, unfortunately narrow hitbox)

recovery from long distance/high height: DO NOT JUMP charge side special towards stage, and release when youre JUST about above the ledge (it seems to cancel vertical speed whilst its activated, and seems to have incredible ledge snap leniency) if you end up hitting someone along the way, use your saved jump and then use aether or quickdraw again to get back on

recovery from long distance and low height: youre done

recovery from spike: try your jump and then aether, it has significant vertical range and you may or may not make it

There you have it! Ike's complete moveset explained in a way for beginners and intermediate players to understand. Ike is slow enough for me to think during a match, but powerful enough not to be a pushover. If you want to wreck havoc with him, you have to play smarter than your opponent. You must predict what they are going to do and react to everything they do. Studying the character & opponent's play style benefits you greatly as the match goes on. Be a force to be reckoned with, and other players will gain more respect for the character, as well as gain respect for you. If you are going to fight for your friends, at least know what works and what doesn't. Learn Ike well and you will be beating alot of people in no time, and the victory will be soo much sweeter.

Since maining Ike In SSBB, I Have learned that he is a high risk/high reward character. Most people stay away from him because of his recovery. I think Ike is one of the better choices for beginners. Why? Well first of all, he is classified as a slow character, but he is very easy to learn. I chose to main him just because I could slow my mind and think when using him.

Ike isn't a sure thing "combo" character, and that is where most people go wrong with him. If you want to play good as him, you have to outsmart your opponent. How? Well first of all, running to the fray and fighting recklessly is asking your opponent to beat them. He has to be PRECISE, and be able to know his opponent before the fight even begins. As I list his moves, I will explain the good and bad side of relying on them in the tips!!!